Margaret Stevenson's bronzed hiking boots grace the LeConte Lodge office on what would have been her 100th birthday.

Good afternoon to all of you. This is Nathan back patching in on High on LeConte as Allyson takes some days off. It's been a while since I've written, so I'll try to knock the rust off for a special story about a LeConte legend, Margaret Stevenson.

On Wednesday, about 55 members of "Margaret Stevenson's Wednesday Hikers" group assembled at the lodge to celebrate the memory of their namesake on what would have been her 100th birthday (plus one day, as Margaret's birthday was Tuesday, but the group she founded always hikes on Wednesday). Margaret's grandson was in attendance. Stories proved the currency of the day while the Wednesday Hikers enjoyed some cake in honor of Margaret before heading down each of the six major trails descending from LeConte.

We're glad there are thousands of accomplished hikers who hold a special place in their heart for Mt. LeConte. However, there are few real LeConte legends, and Margaret Stevenson ranks as a charter member. Margaret made 718 hikes to LeConte Lodge--all after her 48th birthday. Her route to our beloved mountain was circuitous, she was born in China but eventually made her way to Maryville, Tenn.

According to stories told at the gathering, Margaret suffered all manner of ailments until she decided at age 45 that it was time to transform her existence. She traded her bed for hiking boots and ended up hiking the equivalent mileage of 5.5 times around the world before she passed away in 2006 at age 94. She possessed a photographic memory and kept a journal of all of her LeConte trips, beginning on Oct. 13, 1960 and making the bookend 718th trip to the lodge on May 21, 1997.

One year Margaret hiked 3,000 miles while only driving her Pinto 600 miles. It was said that everyone wanted to buy that car, as it was well serviced and Margaret preferred walking to driving anyway. Margaret became the first female member of the "900 Club," accomplished when someone hikes every mile of trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Wednesday Hikers group she nurtured boasts about 80 members of the "900 Club."

The following things were shared about Margaret on Wednesday in the LeConte Lodge dining room. She was called "a fine example of how to live your life" and "extremely positive." Another offered that "if this gal was not a role model, I don't know what a role model is." It was also said that everyone wanted Margaret on their Trivial Pursuit team because she knew everything. People related that the way she welcomed people and introduced them to hiking rated even more impressive than her lofty mileage counts.

We were proud to host the Wednesday Hikers as they honored Margaret, who helped make a special mountain even more special during her 718 visits.

As for the weather, LeConte has been mighty soggy lately. We have been getting periodic peaks at the sun, but most of our time is spent in the clouds. We received 0.18 inches of rain on Wednesday with a high of 65 and low of 52. The forecast calls for more showers and thunderstorms over the next couple of days, though it hasn't rained as of Thursday at 2 p.m.

Happy trails.

The LeConte Lodge dining room was packed with Margaret Stevenson's Wednesday Hikers to honor their group's founder and inspiration. About 55 members of the hiking group braved threatening weather and all six major trails to LeConte to assemble Wednesday on what would have been the day after her 100th birthday.

jay

7/19/2012 07:48:32 am

Bet all 55 visitors carry the "10 essentials" while hiking.

Jt

7/19/2012 08:06:52 am

Great story, this should inspire everyone to get out and enjoy nature . I enjoy all your pictures and stories . keep up the good work . Hope to see all of you on the trails . Have a wonderful day .

David

7/19/2012 08:12:32 am

Remember one hike where I passed Margaret who was attending to her friend with a scratch, and it was only a few minutes later she passed me---and was on the deck resting when I reached the top. What a lady.

doug

7/19/2012 08:27:27 am

Another great story Nathan; I wish I could have met this lady, but it's good to learn about her. The 900 Club: do they have meetings or some kind of organization, and if so, how does one contact them ? I'd like to know. thanks.

Bill

7/19/2012 10:22:40 am

Awesome story, thanks for sharing.

Gina

7/19/2012 11:42:04 am

If this forum had a "like" button, I'd click it, great story.

Wanda Kohlmann

7/20/2012 12:56:23 am

Is there a book about her---published journals???would be interested in getting in touch with this group

Thanks for the post today.I had the pleasure of meeting Margaret at the lodge in 1992. For those of you who never got the opportunity to meet this spunky woman, here is a photograph from that meeting: http://jhrdesigns.com/margaret.jpg.

Kent

7/21/2012 12:29:23 pm

I was down in the Smokies for three days of hiking this week and chose Wednesday to tackle Mt. Leconte, via the Rainbow Falls and Bullhead trails. Talked and hiked a bit with some of the members of the club. Great bunch! It made for a very memorable day!

Martha J. Orr

7/25/2012 09:39:38 am

This is an incredible story. Thanks..I would love to come there someday esp. to stay overnight with you all.

Traveling to Parris Island to watch a U.S. Marine graduate from boot camp is, for most families, a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Parris Island can be warm and humid in the summer and rather wet in winter, but with some careful planning you can guarantee you'll have an enjoyable trip. Thanks a lot.

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

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